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LEAD: FRANCE ASKS TURKEY TO SHOW RESTRAINT AHEAD OF GENOCIDE VOTE
Monsters and Critics.com
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1686927.php/LEAD-France-asks-Turkey-to-show-restraint-ahead-of-genocide-vote
Jan 23 2012
Paris - The French government on Monday appealed for restraint
following fresh threats from Turkey of reprisals if the Senate in
Paris passes a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered
'genocide' at the hands of Ottoman Turks.
The Senate is scheduled to begin debating the bill in the mid-afternoon
(1400 GMT) and hold a vote in the early evening.
The lower house of parliament has already adopted the bill, which
punishes denial of genocides recognized by France by up to a year in
prison and 45,000 euros (57,000 dollars) in fines.
If the bill passes the Senate without any amendments, it will have
fully passed parliament and will merely require the president's
signature to become law.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday warned of further
punitive measures if the Senate voted in favour.
Ankara suspended bilateral cooperation with Paris after lawmakers in
the National Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the bill on December 22.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also accused the French of
committing their own genocide in Algeria.
The Turkish embassy in Paris has said this time around diplomatic
ties between the two countries could be downgraded.
French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero reiterated calls by
President Nicolas Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Alain Juppe in December
for a 'calming' of the rhetoric.
'Turkey is a very important partner and ally of France,' Valero said.
In a letter last week to Erdogan, Sarkozy said the bill, which makes
no specific mention of Armenians but instead refers to all genocides
recognized by France, was in 'no way aimed at any state or people
in particular.'
But France only officially recognizes two genocides: the Nazi Holocaust
of Jews during World War II and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians in eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1917, during World War 1.
The country already has a law punishing Holocaust denial.
The current bill, which was proposed by a member of Sarkozy's party,
aims to put denial that Armenian also suffered genocide on the
same level.
Turkey vehemently denies the killings of Armenians were genocide,
saying that there was no systematic policy to destroy the Christian
Armenian community and that many Muslim Turks also died in the
violence.
Erdogan has accused Sarkozy of using the bill to win the support
of France's small but influential Armenian community ahead of this
year's presidential and parliamentary elections.
Before becoming president in 2007 Sarkozy, who is expected to seek
reelection in April, promised the Armenian community to push through
legislation banning genocide denial.
Around 15,000 people of Turkish origin from across Europe demonstrated
in Paris at the weekend over the bill.
More demonstrations, by both critics and supporters of the bill,
was planned later Monday.
Monsters and Critics.com
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1686927.php/LEAD-France-asks-Turkey-to-show-restraint-ahead-of-genocide-vote
Jan 23 2012
Paris - The French government on Monday appealed for restraint
following fresh threats from Turkey of reprisals if the Senate in
Paris passes a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered
'genocide' at the hands of Ottoman Turks.
The Senate is scheduled to begin debating the bill in the mid-afternoon
(1400 GMT) and hold a vote in the early evening.
The lower house of parliament has already adopted the bill, which
punishes denial of genocides recognized by France by up to a year in
prison and 45,000 euros (57,000 dollars) in fines.
If the bill passes the Senate without any amendments, it will have
fully passed parliament and will merely require the president's
signature to become law.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday warned of further
punitive measures if the Senate voted in favour.
Ankara suspended bilateral cooperation with Paris after lawmakers in
the National Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the bill on December 22.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also accused the French of
committing their own genocide in Algeria.
The Turkish embassy in Paris has said this time around diplomatic
ties between the two countries could be downgraded.
French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero reiterated calls by
President Nicolas Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Alain Juppe in December
for a 'calming' of the rhetoric.
'Turkey is a very important partner and ally of France,' Valero said.
In a letter last week to Erdogan, Sarkozy said the bill, which makes
no specific mention of Armenians but instead refers to all genocides
recognized by France, was in 'no way aimed at any state or people
in particular.'
But France only officially recognizes two genocides: the Nazi Holocaust
of Jews during World War II and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians in eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1917, during World War 1.
The country already has a law punishing Holocaust denial.
The current bill, which was proposed by a member of Sarkozy's party,
aims to put denial that Armenian also suffered genocide on the
same level.
Turkey vehemently denies the killings of Armenians were genocide,
saying that there was no systematic policy to destroy the Christian
Armenian community and that many Muslim Turks also died in the
violence.
Erdogan has accused Sarkozy of using the bill to win the support
of France's small but influential Armenian community ahead of this
year's presidential and parliamentary elections.
Before becoming president in 2007 Sarkozy, who is expected to seek
reelection in April, promised the Armenian community to push through
legislation banning genocide denial.
Around 15,000 people of Turkish origin from across Europe demonstrated
in Paris at the weekend over the bill.
More demonstrations, by both critics and supporters of the bill,
was planned later Monday.